Steps of Faith

Thursday, December 29, 2011

We are about to celebrate the beginning of a brand new year....The year of 2012! With this celebration comes newness...A new beginning, a new start. We delight in knowing that there is HOPE for all the things that we have failed at, during the previous year...

New Years Resolutions.... A new year means that we can make new commitments to improve our lives or the lives of those around us.

1. Lose weight 2. Stop some kind of habit3. Make an effort to help others4. Get fit5. Get out of debt6. Spend more time with family7. Slow down8. Get organized9. Follow a budget10. Be more earth friendly

This list can go on and on and on and on and on! I think you all get the picture here.

Usually these are things that we have tried to do over and over again. We just simply are not able to stick with the plan and we end up giving up! God's word says that there is "nothing too difficult for God." Do you believe this? I certainly DO!

God is able to take our weaknesses and make them our strengths....

We put limitations on ourselves and we measure our strengths by what WE believe WE can or cannot do.....The simple truth is that we don't have to wait for a New Year! God is with us always!

All we need to do is to call upon the Lord. Through our asking and our commitment, we will be able to "Do all things through Christ, who strengthens us"

Blessings!! *****

Now...More Christmas fun....

Tyler's Christmas gift.....a Truck! His very first truck! He has his permit to drive and will get "The REAL License" in March...Woo Hoo......

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Before I get to my "IN ORDER" topic......I wanted to let you know that each day this week, I will be posting a few of our Christmas pictures! Our family enjoyed a Great Christmas!

A fun game.....maybe a tad bit messy to start with, but lots and lots of fun for the

kiddos!!! You cover the snowmen with vaseline! (This is the yucky part) Then,

the kids had to stand behind a line and throw cotton balls onto the body of their snowman...

We divided them into teams and the team that had the most cotton balls on their snowman, when the buzzer sounded......Won a PRIZE!!!!

Again....teams were chosen and the snowball fight was on!!!!

They have like a minute to wad up as many snowballs as they can.....You really have to be quick in this game....The object is to have a few snowballs on your side as possible when the buzzer sounds.....What the kids didn't know was that each snowball was marked with different colors....If they were left with SB's on their side, then they had to find the color and then.....do what ever was required for that particular color....(for example: purple meant that the team had to stand up and do the chicken dance with Pop's......orange may have been that they had to sing a song....etc)

Shanda....helping her dad make it through the relay race!!! The older you are, the harder this race is!!

By The Way.....did you notice we all have on our PJ's?

It's a tradition!!

**

For the rest of my post......

I want you to know that everything around this house is in "ORDER"

Yesterday.....I got up and was determined that I was going to get this house back in order.....Tree came down....gift boxes stored away....Christmas tree decorations, carefully packed away (In RED

The Miraculous day that we call Christmas, may have come and gone for the year of 2011, but Praise the Lord, God's gift is continuous for all of us.....

(this was a re-enactment of the manger scene....It was one of the things that the kids did at our family Christmas....I was so proud of them....Tyler and Tucker made the stable....Mylee was the baby Jesus...Tori was Mary and Carson was Joseph....Trey was a wise man) This was beautiful, because they did it themselves...What a message from the kids!!) **

Unfortunately, this gift is sometimes placed upon a shelf with no regards of it's value and it is not even thought of again until the Easter season or perhaps the Christmas season of the following year....

Meaning......that some people are aware of the birth of Jesus Christ, but as soon as the tree and Christmas decorations are packed away, so is their acknowledgement of Christ.....

Our desire should be to love this gift, day in and day out....to understand that it is the very breath of life!

We need to live our lives, first and foremost in the presence of the Lord....We need to set forth in our hearts, to daily walk with Him...to seek His will for our lives and to give God glory and praise for His abundant Love for us......

Spiritual blessings fall freely upon those that honor our heavenly father.....There is no magical formula, there is no price that we can pay.....We just need to rest in the deep assurance that when we choose to make God the center of our lives.....we can and we will be able to enjoy His loving peace as it envelopes all around us.....

What a gift!!! I have determined in my heart to share this gift with everyone that I come in contact with....

Sunday, December 25, 2011

As the title goes.....I know you're all gonna love this one! This post...this story, is about a Duck!

I'm sure you all have read many times about our grandson, Tucker.....being the hunter in the family....

He usually hunts for things like deer, hogs and sometimes an armadillo or racoon. Never has he hunted or killed a DUCK!

Until yesterday!

I was busy all day around the house, getting prepared for an evening with the kids....I was singing Christmas songs, getting dressed and just thinking about our family Christmas get-together.

I had just finished blow-drying my hair, when I hear Tori say....."Shug, there is a duck in your house."

I had no clue as to what she was talking about.....

All afternoon, it was just Tori and myself here at home...we had been working on some of the games that we all were going to be playing that evening....

OK......I come out of the bathroom and head straight toward the kitchen, only to find a duck....a dead duck....right there on my breakfast table.

Not only was it on my table....but it was spread out across my new cloth placemats, my beautiful snowman dishes, my red sparkle napkins and my silver napkin rings.....

Seems that Tucker had been duck hunting with his cousins and when he was done, he had them drop him off here at Shug's........He had shot his very first duck and he was beaming from ear to ear....Tucker was SO PROUD of his kill......

My response??? "Tucker, what are you doing?"

His response: "Shug, I thought you would proud of my duck."

My response: "Oh sweetie....I am so proud of you....this is wonderful....You have killed your very first duck."

(In the back of my mind, I am thinking....."AND IT IS DEAD...AND IT IS SPREAD OUT ALL ACROSS MY BEAUTIFUL PLACE SETTINGS!")

What else could a good grandmother do at this point, but give him a big ol' hug and a bigger smile.....let him know just how proud of him I was........

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Wow....this has certainly been a busy day! Trista, Tyler, Tori and I, left Chandler early this morning, heading to Dallas for Tyler's orthodontist appointment....

If any of you think the Tyler traffic is bad....then take a 100 mile drive due West and I promise, you will re-think those thoughts!

What are all these people doing on the highways,especially this time of year? ha! ha!......

And....let me tell you, there is nothing more taxing on your nerves, than to get behind a truck that is pulling a trailer....going 30 to 35 miles per hour in a 65mile per hour speed zone, ON A TWO LANE HIGHWAY!!!!!!

Oh Well....we made it home around 6:30 this evening and I am very thankful for a safe trip there and back...

........

Here are just a few pictures of Tori's birthday outing!!

Oh What Fun we had....

We ate at a place that was

very decorative....."The Potpourri House."

On the way home that evening, we all had a big chuckle....Just out of the blue, Mylee announced that she liked eating at that "FANCY" place! Have no idea where that came from, but evidently, she thought it was FANCY!!

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Tucker's Beads of Courage.....He fought hard for every single bead......

Great news......6 Months!!

Tucker's doctor's visit yesterday

brought us great news!!!

Our news reads.....Two year cancer SURVIVOR!!

Our grandson, Tucker is now in his second year of being

cancer free.....Instead of having to be checked ever two months, he now is on a 6 month check up basis......

Folks....this means that he only has to go twice a year to

Children's Hospital for check-ups!! Praise the Lord!!!

In Other News........

Our precious granddaughter is 10 today....

Happy Birthday Tori !!!!!!

* * *

Now to the Funnies!!

Who can ever guess what Mylee Jo is going to do?

She is crazy about her mom........go figure!

WELL....Since Mylee's mom was in the Church Christmas Musical this past Sunday evening, I was responsible for keeping Mylee with me.

Mylee was doing so well....sitting there in my lap....watching the older kids and listening to all the beautiful music....THEN, it was her moms time to be in the limelight! I never knew that Mylee could be so fast!

The minute she saw her mom on the platform, she broke out of my arms and ran up there to be with Shanda....I mean, she was gone before I could even reach to grab her.....

The good news is......everyone just thought it was part of the program!ha..ha....I was shocked and tickled at the same time! You just never know what little ones are going to do!!

Monday, December 19, 2011

As one friend put it, our church was visited by "The King of Kings"yesterday....God is always there, but it was as if He FILLED the heart of every single person that was at church on this beautiful Sunday morning.....

Our church is beautifully decorated for the Christmas season and when you walk into the sanctuary, there is just such a awesome drawing to experience the peace and love that God offers to each of us....

The music was awe-inspiring! Honestly, the song that our Pastor and his wife sang..."How Great Thou Art" lifted my heart and gave me such a renewed strength in the Lord! I even had chill bumps!!!

And then.....to add to the day, we had our Church Christmas musical last evening....If anyone needed their battery recharged, this was the place to do it! God WAS the source to get recharged and He used this program for us to do so......

What a season!! Christ promises us a life of abundance, wholeness, and joy, but He does not force His joy upon us....We have the privilege of being able to claim His promises for ourselves. When we claim His promises, Jesus, in turn, fills our spirits with His Love and His Hope, and His Strength....

I for one, am so thankful for my church and my church family...I am thankful that I was in attendance yesterday, and I am thankful that I was able to truly experience the celebration that God had in store.....

Sunday, December 18, 2011

I love the picture above........I just want to have ONE Christmas that looks like this......Lots of snowflakes......Please, I need some Snowflakes!

I want to believe that at some time in my life, I surely must have lived up North during the Christmas Season (Because I long to experience it).....but the truth is,......NO, I have never lived anywhere other than TEXAS.....

I am so drawn to what I believe the Christmas season is like, in the Northern states....I see all these Christmas cards that depict a different kind of Christmas season....like ice skating, riding through the snowy winter wonderland in a sleigh and decorating a fresh cut Christmas tree.....

I have seen so many post about Christmas trees, and when I see the picture of a Fresh Cut Green Douglas Fir or a Noble tree, it just makes my heart melt.....I can smell it, I can feel it and I can just see the beauty in the tree.

Oh my....add a few snowflakes to all this and I would be as happy as a kid in a candy store.....

I would love to experience all of this, just once...

It is true, that we all have different ways of celebrating, but when it comes to the TRUE meaning of Christmas, we can all celebrate in the same way....

We can give God all the Glory, Honor and Praise that He deserves, for the Birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.....

Happy Sunday Y'all....

shug...

I am so happpppy to let you know that it has been reported that there were over 5000 people in attendance for the rally yesterday IN SUPPORT of the the Nativity Scene.......

Saturday, December 17, 2011

I wanted to take just a few moments to share with all of you, THE NEWS, that is being talked about in our area...

Many of you may have seen on your daily news channel, about the issues going on in Athens, Texas and the displaying of a Nativity Scene........

Athens is some 30 miles from our home town, and it is the County Seat of Henderson County, Texas.....

We have a beautiful old courthouse and as long as I can remember, the grounds have been decorated with lights, Santa house, and a nativity scene....NOW, there is a Wisconsin based organization that is protesting the nativity scene that HAS been displayed year after year on the courthouse lawn!!

The County just recently received a letter from

Freedom From Religion Foundation, stating that the

manager scene is the only seasonal display on the grounds and that it is an endorsement of the Christian religion and therefore, UNCONSTITUTIONAL....

People are expected to gather on the lawn today at noon in SUPPORT OF THE MANAGER SCENE!!!!!!!

People beginning to gather on the square and the Courthouse lawn in SUPPORT of

keeping the Nativity Scene up!!! WOO HOO!!!!

Things like this happen every single day, but just not

so close to home......OH WAIT.....things like this DO happen here at home!! Yea, like PRAYER BEING REMOVED FROM THE SCHOOL DAY......

* * * * *

It is time that we all stand together and take back what we know this Country to have always stood on......which is the solid rock....the foundation of the Lord!!

I was reading from a site that allows people to share their thoughts about this particular topic of the manger scene being protested.....I was amazed at the remarks that were made by some non-believers!!

My prayers are that the Manager Scene WILL remain a part of the Christmas season.....on the courthouse lawn....

We can all do our part for speaking what should be rightly ours and that is to have the scene displayed....BUT< BUT...

we can each do something else as well......

WE CAN DISPLAY A MANAGER SCENE IN OUR OWN

FRONT YARDS!!!!!

Up and down the streets, all across town, all across the country, we can let our light shine through the displaying of the Manager Scene.....after all, this is what Christmas is all about!!

I must admit, I am not one that particularly likes all those santa , elfs, snowmen, etc, etc, etc, figures......out in my yard, but I WILL be displaying a manger scene next year for sure!!

They....whoever they is.....can not stop us from displaying our beliefs in our OWN front yard, so I say, lets get going....lets

Directions: Mix hugs, kisses, smiles and love until consistent.Blend in holiday cheer, peace on earth, Christmas spirits and good will toward men.Use the mixture to fill a large, warm heart, where it can be stored for a lifetime, (it never goes bad !).Serve as desired under mistletoe, sprinkled liberally with special Christmas Snowflakes.It is especially good when accompanied by Christmas Songs and family get-togethers.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

showing up underneath my skin, but a REAL vein and it was totally exposed to the outside world....

As most of you know, I have been having some treatments

done on my legs for some varicose veins.....(Not an easy thing to do)

I knew that the treatment yesterday was going to be a little more detailed and sure enough it was!! Oh yes....lots of little shots! Twelve or more in total!

About halfway through the treatment, the doctor ask me if I wanted to see my vein? After a very small hesitation, I said YES...

So....With some kind of medical instrument in hand, the doctor held up one of my three inch veins for me to see....

I know it sounds horrific, but it was really cool! Yes it was!

A vein is a vein and a worm is a worm.....ha!

What I'm sayin' is that my precious vein looked like one of those ugly worms that you see on the ground after a hard rain...The only difference was that the vein was a pretty pink and worms really do not have a very pretty color...

One more treatment left to do......this next Monday.....and I will be finished....

No more Aching, Tired, Hurting legs!! And, no bulging veins in my legs...(The best part....there will be NO scars either)

I would highly recommend this for anyone that suffers from varicose veins.......which I did have, but no longer do!!

* * * * *

And now I have to leave you with a cute Christmas story!!

A cute Christmas Story

It was the day AFTER Christmas at a church in San Francisco. The pastor of the church was looking at the manger scene, when he noticed that the baby Jesus figure was missing from the cradle. He immediately turnedand went outside and saw a little boy with aredwagon walking down the street. And in the wagon, was the figure of the infant Jesus.

So he walked up to the boy and said, "Son, where did you get that little baby Jesus that's in your wagon?"

The little boy replied, "I got him from the church."And why did you take him?" asked the pastor.

The little boy replied, "Well, about a week before Christmas, I prayed and I told Jesus if he would bring me a red wagon for Christmas, I would give him a ride in it!"

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

One thing that I love about this new technology age is the fact that there seems to be so much more info out there and available to us, with just the click of a button!

I received this story in my email and I really thought it was worth sharing....especially if any of you, (like me) have never heard the story before....

"True Story of Rudolph"

A man named Bob May, depressed and brokenhearted, stared out his drafty apartment window into the chilling December night.His 4 year old daughter Barbara, who sat on his lap, was quietly sobbing.

Bobs wife, Evelyn, was dying of cancer. Little Barbara couldn't understand why her mommy could never come home. Barbara looked up into her dad's eyes and asked...."Why isn't Mommy just like everybody else's Mommy?"

Bob's jaw tightened and his eyes welled with tears.

Her question brought waves of grief, but also of anger...It had been the story of Bob's life. Life always had to be different for Bob. He was always a small kid and was bullied by other boys. He was too little at the time to compete in sports. He was oftencalled names he'd rather not remember.

From childhood, Bob was different and never seemed to fit in. Bod did complete college, married his loving wife and was grateful to get his job as a copywriter at Montgomery Ward during the Great Depression. The he was blessed when his wife gave birth to a baby girl.

But...it seemed to all be Short-lived! Evelyn's bout with cancer had stripped them of all their savings and now Bob and his daughter were forced to live in a two-room apartment in the Chicago slums.

Evelyn died just days before Christmas in 1938.

Bob struggled to give hope to his child, for whom he couldn't even afford to buy a Christmas gift. But, if he couldn't buy a gift, he was DETERMINED to make one....a Storybook! Bob had created a character in his own mind and told the animal's story to little Barbara to give her comfort and hope. Again and again, Bob told the story, embellishing it more with each telling....

Who was the character??? What was the story all about??? The story Bob May created was his own autobiography in fable form. The character he created was a misfit outcast like he was. The name of the character? A little reindeer named Rudolph, with a big shiny nose!

Bob finished the book just in time to give it to his little girl on Christmas Day. But the story does not end there...

The general manager of Montgomery Ward caught wind of the little storybook and offered Bob May a nominal fee to purchase the rights to print the book. Wards went on to print, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and distribute it to children visiting Santa Clause in their stores. In 1946, Wards had printed and distributed more than six million copies of Rudolph. That same year, a major publisher wanted to purchase the rights from Wards to print an updated version of the book.

In an unprecedented gesture of kindness, the CEO of Wards, returned all rights back to Bob May. The book became a best seller. Many toy and marketing deals followed and Bob May, now remarried, with a growing family, became wealthy from the story that he created to comfort his grieving daughter....But the story does not end there either...

Bob's brother-in-law, Johnny Marks, made a song adaption to Rudolph. Though the song was turned down by such popular vocalists as Bing Crosby and Dinah Shore, it was recorded by the singing cowboy, Gene Autry. "Rudolph the red-nosed Reindeer" was released in 1949 and became a phenomenal success, selling more records than any other Christmas song, with the exception of "White Christmas...."

The gift of love that Bob May created for his daughter so long ago, kept on returning back to Bless him again and again. Bob May learned the lesson, just like his dear friend Rudolph...that being different isn't so bad. In fact, being different can be a huge Blessing!

Isn't it amazing how big our God is? He had a huge plan for this man named Bob May......

Those valley's may seem to be so,so deep during the times that we are walking through them, but.....GOD!

God is our Hope and we never know what size package His Blessing may bring!!

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Today I have a quick quiz that I think you might find interesting....and, this is a fun game to play with your family and friends at Christmas....

These are things that we, as Christians know, but when it comes to being a TIMED game, it can get a wee bit crazy!

Hope you enjoy!! This is simply a matching game.....

You have 2 minutes!!! Ready? Get set......GO!

___ Third gift presented by Magi ___ Announced His birth to the shepards ___ Another name for the three Kings ___ Jesus' mother ___ Visual representation of the birth of Jesus ___ An angel appeared to Joseph in a dream___ Human father of Jesus___ Visitors saw the star from ___ He is the reason for the season___ Mary with child through the___ Precious metal given as a gift to Jesus___ Where Holy Family fled to, after Jesus birth___ This means "God is with us"___ "O Come All Ye________"___ "______on Earth"___ This has a pleasant scent when burned___ Town/City Jesus was born in___ Jesus found lying in this___ King at the time Jesus was born

Sam

Yes....My Grandkids Rock

Texas

Our Bear.....aka Tori Lynn

Our Bear

Nov

yum

My Sweetheart and ME

Fall

About Me

Hey Y'all......I'm SHUG......and I'm a Texas gal, through and through. I have been married to my High School Sweetheart for 45 years now.....Our relationship bloomed during our Freshman year in High School.....and we have been together ever since!!! We have two beautiful daughters, two son-in-loves, and SIX wonderful grandchildren...(two granddaughters and four grandsons)
I love the Lord and it is my desire to show this love through my writings on this blog....

Psalm 73:26

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This policy is approved and valid beginning 10/01/11...The contents and photo's contained in this Blog are written by me and the photos are taken by me....The words and photo's are also edited by me unless otherwise stated below the words or photo's. Please DO NOT USE any of my words or my photo's without my permission...Please contact me at sapco5@earthlink.net for permission. The contents belong strictly to me and shall not be used as content on your blog unless you have my permission...